Red Sox Whiffed on First-Round Pick? Expert's Critical Take

The general consensus on the Boston Red Sox's first-round pick last year was that it was a steal, but that was before they started coaching up Kyson Witherspoon.

A former standout at the University of Oklahoma, Witherspoon went 15th overall to the Red Sox, which was seen as a bit of a fall down the draft board. He opened the year as a consensus top 100 prospect in the sport, but his professional debut in High-A has left a lot to be desired.

After his Sunday outing dropped his season ERA to 6.46 in 30 2/3 innings, Witherspoon was on the receiving end of some blunt early feedback from an expert.

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Keith Law sees red flags with Witherspoon

May 21, 2025; Hoover, AL, USA; Oklahoma pitcher Kyson Witherspoon (26) pitches against Georgia in the second round of the SEC Baseball Tournament at the Hoover Met. | Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Keith Law of The Athletic, one of the most respected voices in prospect evaluation, watched Witherspoon pitch on Sunday and noted that he was struggling considerably with the changes to his delivery the Red Sox appeared to have made since his college days.

"Boston has drastically changed his delivery and it’s clearly still a work in progress," Law wrote of Witherspoon. "Witherspoon had a very short arm action with a slight stabbing motion at glove separation when he was at Oklahoma, but now he has a longer arm swing without that added move, and, for the moment at least, he’s having trouble repeating it. He’s also extremely slow and deliberate on the mound.

"If I had zero history on the guy at all, I’d say he’s a very likely reliever... Given how much the Red Sox have changed him, however, I’m inclined to give him a lot of slack. Changing an arm action like this is a big deal and it might take him most of the year to get comfortable with it."

It's one thing if Witherspoon has been passed by former SEC rival Anthony Eyanson in the hierarchy of Red Sox pitching prospects, but if he never became a member of the rotation, that would make his selection a disappointment.

Fortunately, Witherspoon's story isn't yet fully told. This early struggle period could pay long-term dividends, but it's a reminder that no prospect is close to a sure thing when we've yet to see them adjust to pro-level competition.

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